Control device for radio sets



E. P. SCHWARZE, JR

CONTROL DEVICE FOR RADIO SETS Filed July 9. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l WITNESSES INVENTOR Edward B Sch/ma r eJr W a QFWW' 8Y7 Feb. 21, 1928.

E. P. SCHWARZE, JR

CONTROL DEVICE FOR RADIO SETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9. 1925 a? wWW ZIZIWI MZ Edward}! 8071 INVENTOR wage ATTORNEYS WITNESSES Patented Feb. 21 1 928.

UNITED STATES EDWARD P. SGHWABZE, JR, ASTtJBIA, NEW YORK- v 1,660,278 PATENT OFFICE.

CONTROL DEVICE Application filed July 9,

This invention relates to a control device for radio sets. An object of the. invention is to provide a simple and efficient device whereby a plurality of devices on a radio set tion and assembly and the manipulation of one dial.

can be controlled by one manually operated element.

vAnotherobject resides in the provision of a simple and efficient construction whereby the operation of a plurality of apparatus in a radio set by a single manuallyoperated element can be effected very easily, both from the standpoint of the ease of control and mechanical operation, requiring simple construction and a minimum number of parts which are compact in their construcextremely durable, so that the apparatus is to a minimum extent likely to get out of order.

The invention is illustrated in the drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a. front elevation of the device;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the device; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The form of the invention shown in the drawings is a preferred form, although it is understood that modifications in the com struction and arrangement of the parts and in the character of the materials used may be adopted without departing from the spirit of, the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In its general aspect the invention comprisesa plurality-of elements of a radlo set which it is necessary to operate inorder to, manipulate the set. In most sets these various elements, such as condensers, couplers, rheostats, potentiometers, etc., are operate by separate manually operated devices, but in my invention I am able to operate a considerable number of such elements through This unit control is effected by mounting the dial on a. shaft which is movable, and having on this movable shaft an element which can be successively brought to engage with the various elements to be operated, either directly or through their mounting.

More specifically the invention comprises a dial shaft which is preferably mounted for oscillator movement, and having a gear thereon whic is adapted to be moved successively and selectively to mesh with corre- FOB RADIO SITE.

1925-. Serial I0. 48,549.

spending gears on various shafts located ad]acent the knob shaft. In this manner one knob shaft can be mani ulated to various selective positions to e mechanic 1y associated with the shafts on which the various elements to be operated are mounted, such elements as are of the character above mentioned.

In the preferred form of theinvention shown in the drawings I rovide a pair of plates 10 and 11, pre era ly of insulatin material. Between these plates are dispose a pluralitv of shafts such as 12, 13, 14 and 15. On these shafts are mounted, as shown in the drawings, a plurality of rheostats such as 16, 17, 18 and 19. These rheostats are ada ted to be moved by the rotation of the she ts. On these shafts are disposed a plurality of gears 20, 21, 22 and 23. With these gears a single gear 24 is adapted to be selectivel enga ed- This gear 24 is fixed on a she t 25 w ich at one end is rovided with a ballhead 26 seated in a soc et 27 in a plate 28 fixed to the insulating plate 11. The other end of this shaft 25 is provided with a knob 29. The shaft 25, near the knob end, passes through an opening in the insulating plate 10. This opening is shown in Fi 1 and 4 and is 'sha ed to form a plura ity or spaced slots suc as 30, 31, 32 and 33, these slots being of the same width as the diameter of the shaft 25, said shaft preferably snugly fitting in said slot. These slots all open toward a common center so that the shaft can be moved from one slot to another as desired. These slots in regard to their depth and disposition are so arranged thatas the shaft is moved from one to the other it'snugly fits in the slot, and the gear 24 in the various positions of the shaft is engaged with one or another of the gears 20 to 23 or similar elements mounted on the shafts 12 to 15, inclusive.

Preferably the snug fit of the shaft 25 in the slot is efl'ected by providing a sliding sleeve 34 on the shaft back of a spring 35. This sleeve is adapted to bear against the rear'faces of the slots which, as shown in Fig. 4, are beveled as at 36, 37, 38 and 39, the front face of the sleeve 34 being correspondingly beveled as shown at 40 in Fig. 3. This slidable sleeve, therefore, will act as a sort of latch member to hold the shaft 25 in any desired position to which it may be selectively moved. The sleeve 34 can also be engaged with the plate opposite the opening between the slots to hold the shaft 25 in said opening, whereby the gear of said shaft will be held out of engagement with all the gears of the shafts carrying the elements.

It is, of course, understood that although I show rheostats as above operated b this single control element, the elements to e operated can be any of those mentioned previously. It is, furthermore, obvious that instead of moving the rheostats themselves I can move the r eostat arm, and any similar variation in the arrangement and construction itself should be well within the scope of my invention.

On the back of the plate 11 I show a conducting plate 41 which has a plurality of extensions or arms such as 42, 43, 44: and 45 connected to the main body 41. There is provided a plurality of creases such as 46 connecting each arm with the main body of the sheet so that these arms can be mechanically disconnected from the sheet when desired by breaking the metal along the crease. Each of the arms is connected to a conducting bar such as l7 which is screwed to the back of the plate 11, the larger end of each conducting bar being connected to the end of the corresponding shaft 12 to 15 so that these shafts are electrically connected to the sheet 41 at the back of the plate 11 unless the connection between the arms 42 to 45 and the main sheet 41 is broken. Therefore, it is possible to electrically connect all the operating elements to the one battery, or they can be separately connected as desired.

In this device, therefore, I provide a simple, efficient, compact and durable construction whereby the manipulation of one knob and its associated operating elements will effeet the operation of a plurality of apparatus in a radio set thus simplifymg the control and making 1t possible to build radio sets much more compact than hitherto has been possible.

What I claim is 1. A control device for radios, which comprises a frame having a lurality of slots, a plurality of elements to be operated mounted on said frame for rotation, a plurality of rotatable shafts supporting said elements, a gear on each .of said shafts, a rotatable control shaft ada ted to engage either of said slots, means w erehy one end of saidshaft is supported on the frame for oscillatory movement to a plurality of positions, means on the shaft for oscillating and rotating it, a gear on said control shaftadapted to engage selectivel with the gears on the firstmentioned. sha ts in accordance with the displacement of the control shaft, and means locking the shaft is engaged, or in the opening between the slots to hold it in inoperative position.

in the slot with which it y 2. A control device for radios, which comprises a frame, a plurality of elements to be operated, an oscillatory and rotatable shaft adapted to be oscillated and rotated to se lect1vely operate anyone of the elements, said frame having a wall and a central aperture therein, said frame having a plurality of slots extending away from the central aperture in different directions, said shaft adapted to be moved into one or the other of said slots, 9. slidable sleeve on the shaft, a spring to force said sleeve-against one face of the slot, the contactin surfaces of the sleeve and the slot being beveled to permit the sleeve to latch with the beveled surfaces of the slot and thereby hold the shaft in the slot into which it is moved, or to engage the plate op osite the opening between the slots to hold t 19 shaft in inoperative position.-

EDWARD P. SCHWARZE, Jn. 

